


The Highlander and the Sassanach Agent

by LowlandSassanach



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), Outlander & Related Fandoms, Outlander (TV), Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: Children, F/M, Gen, Time Travel, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-09-29 05:32:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17197469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LowlandSassanach/pseuds/LowlandSassanach
Summary: Set after the third season of Outlander and the tenth season of Criminal minds. When Claire goes back to 18th century Scotland and finds Jamie he decides he wants them to go back to the 20th century to meet his daughter. But they overshoot it by about 40 years and end up in the 21st century in Virginia, why did the stones send them there? And why does Jamie feel drawn to SSA Jareau in a totally platonic way. Two people; Black Jack Randall, and Tivon Askari.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, hi.
> 
> New to AO3 so thought I'd post up this. Got my inspiration from watching the tenth season of criminal minds and seeing JJ's reaction to her torture in the Middle East, I started to imagine what it would've been like if Jamie had been there. 
> 
> This story is the result of that imagining.
> 
> If you guys like this one I've got a few more.

As Jamie stood at the standing stones at Craigh na Dun he looked at his wife, still amazed she was here, and then back at the stones. 

“Well Sassanach, how does this thing work again?” he gestured to the stones, “you know, the magic. What is supposed to happen?”

Claire looked at the stones, she was already hearing the buzzing that was drawing her back to her daughter. As if it wasn’t enough that Jamie was alive and that he still wanted her he also wanted to meet his daughter, and so they were standing at the stones ready to go back to the 20th century. Her brunette ringlets are loose and are falling around her face. Jamie’s red hair whips his face in the strong wind. 

“There should be a buzzing around the stone as you approach it, can you hear it?” She looks hopefully at her husband, hoping his desire to meet his daughter for the first time was fueling the stones’ magic.

Jamie’s eyes dance around the stones and then widen to points Claire was sure they couldn’t get any wider. “Aye…” he breathed almost a whisper “I hear the stones.” He starts walking forward, reaching out. “I want to touch it...I want to go…”

Claire chuckles and then takes his hands and looks into his eyes, “together. We go together.” Jamie nods and smiles at her and with that they both touch the stone at the same time

\------------------------OL--------------------CM----------------------OL--------------------CM---------------------

 

After the case they’d just had, Jennifer Jareau sighed as soon as she stepped in the apartment, bed sounded good. Henry rounded the corner clutching a drawing he did at his school that day, JJ forgot entirely about how tired she was and looked at it, having a moment with her son before he went to his bed.

After they put Henry down for the night JJ and her husband William Lamontagne Jr relaxed on their couch with a glass of wine, with JJ falling asleep on Will’s shoulder.

Neither of them heard the wind whistling on the windowsill or were woken by the thunder outside their apartment.

\------------------------OL--------------------CM----------------------OL--------------------CM---------------------

Jamie looked around as soon as he opened his eyes, according to Claire it was normal to be on your back when you materialised in the place you were but as he looked around he realised they weren’t in Scotland anymore.

Heaving to his feet he looks for his wife, finding her slowly waking up he helps her to her feet.

“Well, my bonnie Sassanach, we’re in the future alright, I don’t recognise anything here.” but as he turned Claire just looked at him, a paper already in her hands.

“That’s because it’s not Scotland…it’s Virginia...and it’s not 1969...it’s 2015...we’ve overshot it by a little under 50 years.” Claire’s heart breaks to see Jamie’s eyes in realising that he won’t et to meet his daughter and wishes she could make it better. But aside from a hu she doesn’t know what to do.

Jamie decides to walk, he walks down the street hand in hand with Claire. All he had hoped to have said to Brianna was racing through his mind at lightning speed and he barely heard the sirens of the police cars as they tore down the street but the lights certainly caught his eye for they were truly blinding.

“Put your hands up.” Came the bark of the uniformed officer as he held his pistol steady, aiming it at Jamie.

Before he was to surrender, for Jamie wasn’t daft enough to make a bad situation worse by fighting the man who held a gun to him, he moved Claire so she was behind him.

“I will surrender” Jamie replied as he placed his hands in the air, on the condition that my wife remains unharmed. 

The officer didn’t move his pistol and merely nodded his agreement, “throw down the sword and the gun”

Jamie took his broadsword from its sheath and threw it on the ground, then his gun. After that everything happened so quickly it made Jamie’s head spin: his hands were put behind his back and cuffed as he watched the other officer look after Claire. 

\------------------------OL--------------------CM----------------------OL--------------------CM---------------------

The sirens woke JJ up immediately and she went to her bedroom window to see a red haired man in Highland dress and a woman with what appeared to be a Georgian peasants dress on being led away from the street, the man obviously in custody.

JJ pulled out her phone and speed dialed the BAU. 

“Hotch? You know anything about any reenactments in town lately? No special reason just spotted a couple of cosplayers getting arrested...you are? Okay, I’ll be there in thirty minutes.” 

She then shut off her phone and kissed Will on the forehead before getting ready for her work.

 

\------------------------OL--------------------CM----------------------OL--------------------CM---------------------

Garcia stood in front of the whole team and looked at them, two photos flashed up on screen, one of Jamie and one of Claire. 

“This, my fine frienderinos, is a mystery for the ages” Garcia pressed a button on the remote and another photo of Jamie’s broadsword and gun flashed up on screen.

“That’s the guy and woman arrested outside my apartment last night.” JJ blurted out. 

“Yeah, They don’t have any ID but they introduced themselves as Jamie Fraser and his wife Claire.”

“Jamie Fraser died in the 1770s, right after coming to America, with his wife Claire, do you think that they truly believe that they are Jamie and Claire Fraser?” This time it was Reid who piped up.

“That’s what we’re gonna find out...squirrel-friends…”

“We’re go in thirty minutes. Try to keep an open mind.” Hotch said as they all made their way out of the round table room and out into the street.

This was going to be one strange day.

 

Next time: Jamie and Claire are introduced to the team, Jamie starts to get flashbacks of Black Jack Randall when a sergeant gets too frustrated on a questioning of him prompting him to scream for Claire and Hotch to admonish the sergeant. And JJ bonds with Jamie over their shared PTSD.


	2. Chapter 2

Hotch and a local sergeant from Virginia P.D sat opposite the man who claimed he was Jamie Fraser. Chained to the desk Jamie feels as helpless as that day in the Wentworth jail where Randall had nailed his hand to the desk and made him feel helpless and wish he had died by the noose. 

As the sergeant continued the questioning Hotch stared at Jamie, looking for any sign that he might not be who he says he is. Instead of finding that he instead sees evidence of PTSD: Jamie stares ahead blankly, he refuses to look at his questioners, he then clenches his jaw when any move across to him is made. There was no way that he was carrying that broadsword for a cosplay; not if he knew this would be the police’s response.

Unfortunately Jamie’s silence is not appreciated by the sergeant who then stands and comes up behind him and touches Jamie’s shoulder. Before Hotch could react Jamie elbowed the sergeant in the gut and started shouting for his wife. 

Down the hall with JJ and Kate, Claire heard her husband screaming her name in the same way he did after Wentworth, he was terrified the same thing would happen to him again. Claire stood up and starting running towards her husband’s voice, with JJ hot on her heels.

The doctors were trying to subdue Jamie as Claire burst in, he looked like a wild thing as they pressed his face into the desk, he was alternating between screaming for Claire and swearing at the doctors in Gaelic. 

“Please, get off of him. Can’t you see he’s in distress?” Claire rushed to Jamie’s side and started stroking his face gently and they were all amazed when Jamie’s frantic actions subsided and he looked into his wife’s eyes.

“Sasannach?” Jamie’s voice broke. “I need you to help me. I need you to tell them I am who I say I am.”

Claire took Jamie in her arms shushing him as gently as a mother. “It’s alright Jamie, just answer their questions as best you can and you can leave. It’s alright, I’ll be here for you.”

As soon as Jamie was calm enough to be without Claire Hotch ordered Kate and Reid to take her into a seperate room. As Jamie looked straight ahead Hotch pulled the sergeant out.

“It was you putting your hands on him. I think you need to sit this one out.” Hotch nodded in the direction of JJ.

Before they went into the room Hotch got JJ to observe Jamie in the other room, “I want you to take the lead.” JJ stared at the red headed Scottish man ahead of her and didn’t acknowledge Hotch at all, she was sure she knew why. He had the haunted eyes of a torture victim. 

JJ went in first and sat directly across from Jamie. Jamie looked up and into JJ’s eyes, and had to stop himself from gasping: the blonde in front of him had the same look in her eyes. He spoke out of complete surprise. “You’re like me…”

JJ blinked, she didn’t expect him to speak about it so soon. “Yes. I was tortured in the Middle East...what happened to you?” Hotch kept silent, anything he tells JJ will be checked by the team and will determine who he is.

“I was arrested and put in Wentworth prison, I was sentenced to death and was in the noose when a man arrives with a stay of execution, Jonathan Randall, after what he did to me I wished for the noose..”Jamie takes a steadying breath and clasps his hands in front of him. “Black-Jack Randall decided he wanted to break me before I shuffled off this mortal coil, so he took me into a room and broke my hand. He then brought my wife into the room and threatened her...so I promised him what he wanted in exchange for Claire’s freedom. He nailed my hand to the desk and made me kiss him before letting her go…”he averts his gaze for one moment but then rights himself and looks at JJ. “Randall tortured me, he molested me, raped me, all the while telling me it was Claire doing these things to me...I prayed for death.” he looks down. “You’re the first person I’ve told this to, besides my wife, but while I was being raped...I started to like it. I finally felt something other than pain, you know?” 

Hotch looks at Jamie, “I’m sorry you had to tell us that. We will check you story and hopefully that’ll prove who you are…” Hotch and JJ then left the room and Hotch allowed Claire in and ordered the officers to take off the cuffs. He knew that after that confession being allowed to touch his loved one would be all the solace the poor man needed.


	3. Chapter 3

After being released Jamie felt like he shouldn’t leave the blonde haired agent alone, if she was still dealing with her torture the same way he did she shouldn’t be left alone. So when he and Claire were taken back to the BAU offices he asked to be taken by JJ. 

During the ride, with Claire sittin in the front seat, JJ was quiet. So neither Jamie nor Claire asked her about her ordeal. They both knew how Jamie reacted when anyone asked him about it. 

“I see you’re married.” Claire pointed out, smiling at her.

“Yes, his name is William, Will, we call him. He’s from New Orleans, we met on a case…”she trailed off, a huge smile on her face and she lit up. “We have one son...Henry…” the smile disappeared and she gripped the wheel a little harder. 

They shared their lives to each other and before long all three were good friends and they walked into the bullpen together. A soon as they did Hotch, Reid, and JJ took Jamie and Claire into Hotch’s office. 

When they entered into the office Hotch spoke “We looked into what you told us, Jamie. It was all true although there was very little in the official records.”

At this Reid decided to speak up: “I looked into it as I read the fastest. Turned out Randall kept a journal and he wrote about it in great detail. He was almost reliving the moments as he wrote and that came through in his writings. From this I would surmise that he was a ‘sexual sadist’...that’s when a man…”

“Gains sexual satisfaction from the pain of others…”Jamie interjected and looked satisfied with their surprise, “I asked Claire once when she used the term during an argument...the term was directed at me.” He chuckles lightly remembering the time well.

“Yes, well it seems that Randall remembered everything. Including that he used the scent of lavender in the torture…”

“Reid...that’s enough. Thank you.” This time Hotch interrupted and the young agent fell silent. “Until we can determine how you got here and how we can get you home, you’ll have to stay in our custody.” Hotch corrected himself at Jamie’s wince, “with our hospitality.” In order to prevent the press from going nuts and hounding you we won’t advertise your whereabouts and we will rotate you each week. For this week you’ll stay at mine.”

Jamie and Claire smiled at the man and thanked him. 

“As I’m away a lot it’ll likely be just you, my son Jack, and my sister-in-law Jessica for the week, or the majority of it.”

They nodded, choosing not to comment on the fact he mentioned a son, a sister-in-law, but no wife. They instead looked at each other, and then at Hotchner. 

Walkin out into the bullpen they meet each member of the team; Jamie was particularly amused by Garcia and her mannerisms and Claire was particularly interested in Reid’s intelligence and his book collection. 

Having said hello to everyone and getting to know the team Hotch drove the Frasers home to introduce them to Jack and Jessica. As it was just after Halloween Jack insisted on showing the Frasers his costume, while neither of them knew who Darth Vader was they were ecstatic to see him so happy.

Pulling out a sofa bed Hotch told the family that it was time to go to bed. 

When they lay down on the bed the Fraser’s were sure they were in 2015 for a reason...but what was the reason. Whatever the reason Jamie was sure the pasts of the team had something to do with it.

Brianna would have to wait.

 

Next Time: The Frasers talk to Jessica about her sister, and Hotch’s wife, and learn the circumstances surrounding her death. They also learn more about JJ, Reid, Morgan, and Garcia’s respective ordeals. And in turn Reid learns more about Jamie’s ordeals during the Battle of Culloden, and beyond, and learns more about what brought the Frasers together.


	4. Chapter 4

Waking up to the smell of bacon and eggs Jamie looked down at his wife still in his arms and sleeping soundly he kissed her forehead and then got up, puttin on his kilt again and then went into the kitchen and smiled at Jessica who was making breakfast.

“Good morning Mr Fraser, how did you sleep?” Came a small voice from his right side, Jamie turned and smiled at Jack.

“Good morning Master Hotchner, I slept very well thank you.” he turned to look and see if his wife is awake, exposing his naked, scarred back to Jessica.

Upon seeing it Jessica dropped a cup of orange juice she had been carrying to the dining table shattering it on the floor and she gasped, tears in her eyes.

Jamie turned around to see the mess and the tears in Jessica’s eyes. “Oh, dinna fash yersel, lass. They don’t hurt.” He bends down and helps Jessica to pick up the shattered remnants of the glass.

“It wasn’t thinking they hurt that shocked me so, Mr Fraser, it was the hatred in them...someone must have really hated you to scar your back so.” She looked behind her and saw Claire.

“Good morning, Mrs Fraser” came the small voice of Jack Hotchner. “I hope you’re hungry, cause Auntie Jessica made a lot of food.” He smiles.

“Yes, I did. But I also spilled a bit of the orange juice Jack.” Jessica seemed embarrassed that she reacted so shocked to Claire’s husband’s scars.

“Not to worry Jessica. I can surmise why you dropped it. And yes, my husband’s back can be quite shocking to the first viewing. Had I been awake I’d have told him to put on his shirt so it wouldn’t be seen…” she was stopped by Jessica waving her hand.

“He shouldn’t have to be ashamed of his past. Our scars show us where we’ve been and remind us that we’re stronger than we think…”She looked down and smiled, reminiscing about her childhood. “Something Haley used to say.”

The ate in silence and when they were finished Jack went to get ready for school. Jessica got up and started to clear the plates, Jamie and Claire could see the tears in her eyes as she started clearing up and Claire’s first instinct was to get up and stop her from not confronting whatever was upsetting her. They both looked at Jessica from across the table, “you can tell us about Haley, lass…” Jamie reassured her and Claire took her hand.

After a deep breath Jessica starts telling them about Haley, about her childhood and about her meeting Hotch, “after he left the lawyer profession, he joined the FBI and it was okay until Jack was born...then Haley started getting frustrated with his long hours and his travelling with the BAU. She was worried about his bond with Jack and that kind of thing, I told her to talk to him but she didn’t want to, so eventually when he chose to go on a case instead of staying with her and Jack, Haley packed her things and walked out with Jack.” The Frasers looked at each other then back at her, “they were in the middle of the divorce when Foyet happened...George Foyet was also known as ‘the Boston Reaper’ a serial killer that Hotch put away, who then escaped and went after him, Foyet stabbed him but not enough to kill him and then took Haley’s number out of Hotch’s address book and left a photo of her and Jack...so they went into witness protection and I didn’t have any contact for 6 months.” Jessica starts getting emotional as she talks about it, “Then he got to Haley’s handler and convinced her that Hotch was dead and that to be safe she should go home, then he called Hotch and taunted him…” her voice starts to break. “Before he…” Claire moves and comforts Jessica. “Before he shot her in the head, and made Hotch...Aaron...listen…” she starts sobbing, “I’m just grateful that the last words Haley said to Aaron were ‘I love you’ because she really did, no matter how mad she got at him it was always there. Even when they were divorced…” At this point both Frasers are now comforting Jessica Brooks, whose beloved sister was taken so cruelly from her.

They soon feel another presence in the apartment and a pair of loving arms embraces Jessica, it was Hotch. “Hey, hey, Jess. It’s okay. Haley’s at peace, and I always knew she loved me..”

This makes Jessica laugh slightly and Hotch caressed Jessica’s cheek. At which point the Fasers decided to clear up the table and leave them to it.

Whether it was through the shared experience of losing Haley or because they were emotional or whether or not it was genuine feelings they didn’t know but Aaron and Jessica leaned in and kissed one another.

Claire smiled and watched the pair, maybe there was a reason the stones had dropped them off here after all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From Jamie’s POV. Just after the last chapter, his thoughts and feelings about being there and the revelation. Also an interaction between him and Hotch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Translations into Scots Gaelic are from Google translate.

I watched as the man kissed his sister-in-law. Although I understand the world and the feelings after the death of a wife, or the supposed death, I couldn’t understand the feelings of the man and the sister-in-law.

Claire looks at me, my Sassanach searching my face. She was looking for any sign I was understanding, I stared right back desperately trying to communicating I understood perfectly. 

I went out to the dining area with my skin and my scars. ‘Twas time to meet Aaron Hotchner, the man who’d looked at me so stoic from across that table in the jail had been through a lot. And although part of me needed to know how he coped another, more desperate part of me wanted to know how he moved on. How he moves past all the hurt and the anger of all the things that bastard Foyet did to him. 

I pulled him aside and looked him in the eye; “I want tae know one thing: did you avenge yer wife’s death at the hands of this Foyet bastard?” a curt nod was all the reply I got so I chose not to push it. “Good...good…”I stood in silence for a while then blurted out “How do ye do it? How do ye live with hearin’ her last words tae ye? Even after killin’ him, I ken you still hear it no doubt…” his raised hand stops me mid rant and I see him point to Jack. 

“If Jack weren’t here I’d have lost it by now.” He looked at me. “Without Haley I went crazy, but each time I thought I were going to fully go crazy Jack was there. He reminded me I was still needed, still blessed.” He looked directly into my eyes. “I fought to protect him so anytime I see him I’m reminded I’ve got what I fought for. What do you have to remind yourself that you suffering was worth it?”

I knew immediately what he was saying as I looked to Claire who was elbow deep in dishwater at the sink.

If I hadn’t fought to come back after what Randall had done to me we wouldn’t have made our wee Brianna. 

“Brianna” I breathed. “Our daughter…” I reached into my sporran and pulled out the photos Claire had given to me. “If I hadnae a fought to regain my sanity and come back to Claire, Brianna would ne’er a been born...mo nighean ceann dearg...my red headed daughter, wouldn’t exist...That’s who I fought for. When you boil it down.” I looked at the agent, he had tears in his eyes.

“That’s right. And that’s what you need to hold onto.” 

 

I went back to Claire and I kissed her forehead sweetly, as sweetly as I did on the day we were wedded and I held her close. “Tha gaol agam ort, mo nighean donn.” The English words of ‘I love you, my brown haired lassie’ didn’t seem enough so I whispered it in Gaelic. 

 

Closing my eyes I remembered the words I’d shouted to the guards at the jail:

“Leig leam falbh” (Let me go)

A struggle, my face is pushed further into the wood.

“tha thu a 'dèanamh mòran de bhatailean”(You bunch of bastards)

Hot tears threaten to spill, but I refused to let them see me cry.

“Càit a bheil mo bhean?” (Where is my wife?)

My eyes darted around the room that I could see, my sassanach was nowhere in sight, panic begins to rise up within me.

“Feumaidh mi mo bhean” (I need my wife)

“Claire!!” The name is ripped from my throat in my panic and several more times, I pray she can hear it.

Then, as if in answer to my prayers the door bursts open and in comes a Sassanach whirlwind. She expertly convinces the guards to let me go and strokes my face. 

As usual I turn into clay on a potters wheel around her, I stare into her eyes and beg her to help me, she assures me that if I cooperate I will be released. They leave shortly after and I’m left alone with my thoughts.  
Brianna, my daughter, I will find a way to find you. You should meet your Da after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said doctors in the pevious chapter where the scene inside the police station takes place but this is from Jamie’s POV and he wouldn’t recognise them as doctors so I plumped for the jail term he’d most associate them with: guards.


	6. Dr Reid, self-diagnosing?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer Reid talks to the Frasers and Jamie finds out some more about why he's not currently with his daughter. 
> 
> WARNING: There's a canon divergence in this chapter. Only a criminal minds CD though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing.

Spencer was the next one to take the Frasers and as they walked into his apartment Jamie gawked at the amount of books on his bookshelf. "Ye canna have had read all these tomes?"

Spencer smiled at him. "I did say I was the fastest reader. I read over 20,000 words per minute." Jamie stared at him owlishly, "I also have an IQ of 187, and an eidetic memory." he laughed. "So yes, I've read them all. Feel free to read them." Jamie smiled at him and picks out a book about American History. "Thank ye, lad." Jamie grinned at him and opened the book. "tell me somethin'" he mused as he thumbed through the book. "what exactly are ye a doctor of?" Jamie looked up and rose an eyebrow.

"Um, I have 3 PHDs. In chemistry, engineering, and mathematics. I also have degrees in Psychology and Sociology." Jamie and Claire stared at him, Jamie was the first to speak. "And how old are ye?" "Thirty-four." He looked between the two Frasers. "I graduated high school at the age of twelve, went to college after that. I've never really stopped learning since then." He smiled at them then looked away. Jamie and Claire exchanged a look.

"Do you mind if I use your bathroom? I want to get freshened up." Claire looked at Spencer and he pointed out his bathroom. "Thank you." And with that she entered the small room, leaving the two men alone.

Jamie watched Spencer intensely, he was trying to gauge the young agent's reaction of looking away from them. Spencer felt increasingly uncomfortable under his gaze. When Claire emerged from the bathroom she was looking at Spencer. "What's the matter, Claire?" Jamie asked, his eyes full of concern. "What's got ye looking so spooked, lass?" he crossed the room and took her in his arms.

"I wanted some aspirin...so I looked in the medicine cabinet...Spencer, why do you have this?" She held up a vial and Spencer went white.

Jamie took the vial and read it. "Dilauded" he looked at Claire. "You recognised the name?" She nodded.

"It's an opiate...for pain...I became addicted to it after a case a few years ago..." They looked scandalised. "I don't take it anymore...it was forced on me at first. Then I found it helping so I took some more, and more, until I couldn't stop and it put my job at risk." He looked down, ashamed. "I've been a narcotics anonymous group for years..."

"And the incident , lad?" Jamie's tone wasn't accusatory it was inviting him to tell his story, and Spencer figured if anyone could understand it would be Jamie.

"We were working a case of a serial killer who had killed based on sins, they called 911 after each murder to be sure they'd be seen. We thought at first it was a team of killers working together but as we got closer we realised it was one killer with 3 personalities." He looked Jamie in the eye. "I stupidly thought I could tackle the killer on my own. JJ was with me but we split up, I got knocked out in the con field and when I woke up I was tied to a chair." He breaks in his story. "The first personality I encountered was called 'Raphael' who was an angel of death and he proceeded to play an unwilling game of Russian roulette with me." Seeing Jamie's look of confusion he opted to explain more. "Russian roulette is a game where you take a barrelled gun with six chambers, fill one with a bullet and then spin it. Once that's done you put it to your head and pull the trigger. One in six chance of getting the bullet although those odds decrease the more you pull the trigger and no bullet."

"So ye mean to say this Raphael character held a gun tae yer head and gave ye no choice of whether ye'd live or die?"

"That's about the long and short of it. Anyway, after he was done teasing me, he left. A while later another personality entered the scene; Charles, Tobias Hankel's dad, an abusive character. He was particularly cruel: he was the one who beat the soles of my feet after calling me a liar. Then finally, Tobias himself showed up, and gave me dilaudid to keep me quiet and also because he said it helped. He, um, he 'comforted' me in other ways." Spencer looked down. "I didn't fight him when he..." Spencer paused the words sticking in his throat. "'comforted' me...sexually...I had to shoot him...he was making me dig my own grave..." Spencer finally broke down. "JJ blamed herself of not being with me when I was taken but, it was never her fault. I should've been more sensible and waited for back up." Claire took the now sobbing young agent into her arms.

"Why do you keep this if you don't take it anymore?" She asked, holding up the vial. 

"I don't want to forget, what this almost cost me...my friends, my family, my job, my sanity. I just don't want to forget." he let out a sobbing laugh. "Ironic really, the reason I took it in the first place was so I could forget!"

Jamie took the vial from Claire. "I think ye can remember now what ye have to lose...what do ye say? Is it time to dispose of this?" He held the vial out to Spence who took it. "Only you can make the decision, lad." They both watched him as he held that small vial that was all at once his past, present, and future. 

"I think it might be." Spencer pulled the vial and held it under his chin. "I think you're right." He hands it to Claire. "Throw it away. I have no need of it."

Later that night when Spencer and Jamie are alone they talk.

"What was it that pulled you out of it? For me Hotch and Gideon, my old mentor, started noticing the signs of addiction in me and got me into rehabilitation. Who helped you through what Randall did to you?" Jamie looked down.

"Claire." He smiled fondly at the floor remembering the time she'd taken him to task when all he wished for was the sweet embrace of death. "She told me that if I didnae carry on then there was no point in her living either...that stirred something in me."

Spencer nodded "It's good that you have that love. You both have it with each other."

And so went the Fraser's second week in the company of the BAU agents. Jamie wondered if all the agents had gone through similar experiences to his own that he wanted and needed to help them come to terms with. He thought about JJ: not only did she have her own story, she was involved with others' stories. What had she truly been through? What had she seen? How could he help?


End file.
